Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duhok and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $602 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
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Duhok Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$602

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Duhok and in Dubai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Duhok and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $602 in Duhok versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Duhok $602
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $968 in Duhok versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Duhok $968
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,334 in Duhok versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Duhok $1,334
Dubai $5,872

Living in Duhok costs roughly 79% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Duhok is 55% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 IQD 5,069

$12.67 AED 46.55

-73.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.55 IQD 25.0K

$81.7 AED 300

-79.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

$9.34 AED 34.30

-24.63%

Cappuccino

$2.32 IQD 3,511

$5.89 AED 21.62

-60.61%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 IQD 517

$1.69 AED 6.20

-79.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 IQD 229

$0.78 AED 2.86

-80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 IQD 2,430

$13.66 AED 50.2

-88.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$13.49 AED 49.54

-85.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 IQD 1,680

$1.84 AED 6.78

-39.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,017

$1.50 AED 5.50

-55.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 IQD 2,262

$2.57 AED 9.45

-41.63%

Eggs

$1.58 IQD 2,385

$3.32 AED 12.18

-52.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.03 IQD 7,594

$12.60 AED 46.28

-60.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 IQD 4,460

$9.66 AED 35.46

-69.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$12.78 AED 46.93

-15.26%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,453

$2.60 AED 9.54

-63.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 IQD 1,506

$1.90 AED 6.99

-47.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 IQD 1,109

$1.91 AED 7.02

-61.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,028

$1.37 AED 5.02

-50.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 894

$1.13 AED 4.14

-47.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 948

$1.01 AED 3.71

-37.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 IQD 926

$1.44 AED 5.30

-57.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 IQD 719

$0.67 AED 2.48

-28.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.74 IQD 2,630

$5.88 AED 21.59

-70.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 IQD 16.0K

$16.15 AED 59.3

-34.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,200

$2.72 AED 10.00

-46.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,749

$3.08 AED 11.32

-40.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 486

$1.60 AED 5.87

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.69 IQD 23.7K

$76.0 AED 279

-79.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 IQD 2,555

$3.24 AED 11.91

-47.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 IQD 1,930

$0.71 AED 2.61

80.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 IQD 8,491

$7.96 AED 29.22

-29.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 IQD 884

$0.98 AED 3.62

-39.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

$27.4K AED 100.6K

-39.75%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.0K IQD 25.7M

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-22.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$85.5 IQD 129.1K

$249 AED 913

-65.61%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.81 IQD 13.3K

$54.4 AED 200

-83.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 IQD 36.4K

$91.5 AED 336

-73.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.83 IQD 75.3K

$103 AED 380

-51.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.66 IQD 40.3K

$42.32 AED 155

-37.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 IQD 11.4K

$16.29 AED 59.8

-53.65%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$108 IQD 163.9K

$844 AED 3,098

-87.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,793 IQD 4.2M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-84.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.25 IQD 15.5K

$67.0 AED 246

-84.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 IQD 29.6K

$57.9 AED 213

-66.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$29.73 IQD 44.9K

$102 AED 375

-70.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.93 IQD 30.1K

$98.7 AED 363

-79.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$161 IQD 243.5K

$2,393 AED 8,788

-93.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 IQD 174.0K

$1,533 AED 5,630

-92.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 IQD 497.2K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-92.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 IQD 480.4K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-89.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$430 IQD 649.7K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-93.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$362 IQD 547.5K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-91.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$421 IQD 635.5K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-87.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

4.54

-44.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Duhok: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Duhok

$153 25.4%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 90.7% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duhok

$118 19.7%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 233% $276

Accommodation & Living

Duhok

$115 19.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 1231% $1.4K

Eating Out

Duhok

$90 14.9%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 240% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Duhok

$65 10.8%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 109% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Duhok

$36 6%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 310% $111

Getting Around

Duhok

$25 4.2%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 256% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $161 in Duhok and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 723% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17.00 in Duhok vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $153 vs $292 per month, with Duhok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Duhok

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

22:08 10:08 PM

1 h ahead of Duhok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,900

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Duhok Dubai 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Duhok
Dubai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Duhok vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duhok is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 381% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 723% lower in Dubai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $161 in Duhok versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Duhok runs roughly 384% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $108 in Duhok versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $602 in Duhok versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duhok but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Duhok the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Duhok is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Duhok and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Duhok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 381% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.